'Still in our high school band...'

Introducing Edge and Bono at the iHeartRadio Awards, Pharrell Williams paid tribute to U2 - not just for redefining music, but for 'reinventing' it.
"These are the type of guys that if they see a problem, they don't just sing about it, they do their best to fix it. This is a band of activists."

"I guess a band still using bass, guitar and drums, all those years after rock and roll was invented, doesn't sound so innovative," said Bono. “But, it turns out rock and roll has more to do with spirit than flesh."

"The thing that might be the most innovative about our band is we are a real band," added Edge. "We are still in our high school band."

They dedicated the award to the artists who continue to innovate in difficult circumstances, in "places around the world where making music is a crime, where you can go to jail for expressing an opinion."

U2, said iHeartMedia's John Sykes, is a band of activists, not only in music but in politics, popular culture and human rights. "They began as a punk band and that attitude still runs strong throughout their songwriting, albums and live performances. They will never stop testing the limits, and that's why we are honored to recognize them with this Innovator Award."